Foster's
Foster's is a privately held regional wholesale distributor of lawn, garden, and landscape supplies, serving independent retailers, turf professionals, landscapers, and specialty food stores across the Upper and Central Midwest from warehouses in Waterloo, IA and East Peoria, IL.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1910
- HeadquartersWaterloo, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Foster's does
Foster's Inc. is a privately held regional wholesale distributor of lawn, garden, and landscape supplies headquartered in Waterloo, Iowa, with a secondary warehouse in East Peoria, Illinois, and a trade show venue in Mankato, Minnesota. The company sells a broad catalog of SKUs across fertilizers, grass seed, potting soils, pest and wildlife control, garden décor, tools, and specialty foods to independent retailers, turf professionals, landscapers, and specialty food stores across the Upper and Central Midwest. Foster's also serves as the exclusive distributor of Lifetyme Grass Seed products and Bald Eagle Foods specialty food products, following acquisitions of Behm & Hagemann (2018) and Bald Eagle Foods (2010s), and is a member of the Gro Group buying alliance.
Foster's business model is B2B wholesale distribution with quote-based pricing rather than publicly disclosed list pricing; specific pricing requires account login or direct inquiry. Revenue is generated through unit-volume sales across a multi-thousand account base, with go-to-market executed through a field salesforce, an online customer portal offering 24/7 ordering and account management, and inbound phone ordering. The company sources from more than 300 suppliers including Scotts, Bonide, Espoma, FoxFarm, Lebanon Seaboard, Bio Advanced, and Back to Nature, giving retailers a consolidated purchasing option across major national brands alongside Foster's own private-label and exclusively distributed brands (notably Lifetyme grass seed and Foster's bedding plant trays).
Foster's has operated continuously since the 1910s under successive families — the founding Foster family through the 1980s, William E. Heine from the 1980s, his son William C. "Bill Jr." and son-in-law John Lehman in the 1990s, and Jeff Engel as President and CEO from 2018 onward. Operations have been progressively consolidated from earlier multi-site footprints in Plymouth, Green Bay, and Rogers, Minnesota, into the current two-warehouse Midwest model with more than 100,000 square feet of distribution capacity. The 2020 spin-off of Lifetyme Seed Company into a stand-alone entity while preserving Foster's exclusive distribution rights illustrates the company's pattern of separating proprietary brand economics from core distribution operations. The company remains privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, no public listing, and no external funding rounds on record.
Foster's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foster's
- Legal name
- Foster's Inc.
- Website
- https://fostersinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1910
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Foster's is a privately held regional wholesale distributor of lawn, garden, and landscape supplies, serving independent retailers, turf professionals, landscapers, and specialty food stores across the Upper and Central Midwest from warehouses in Waterloo, IA and East Peoria, IL.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foster's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Lawn & Garden Wholesale Distribution
- NAICS
- Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)
- SIC
- Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)
Keywords
Where Foster's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterloo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Foster's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Foster's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Foster's is a regional wholesale distributor that purchases lawn, garden, landscape, and specialty food products in bulk from 300+ suppliers (including Scotts, Bonide, Espoma, FoxFarm, and Lebanon Seaboard) and resells them to independent retailers, turf professionals, landscapers, and specialty food stores across the Upper and Central Midwest. The company holds exclusive distribution rights for Lifetyme Grass Seed and Bald Eagle Foods, and sells its own branded Foster's Bedding Plant Trays, all fulfilled from 100,000+ sq ft of warehouse space with consolidated billing and prompt shipping.
Product overview
Foster's is a premier wholesaler of lawn, garden, and landscape supplies serving the Upper and Central Midwest. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products across multiple categories including grass seeds (Lifetyme brand grass seeds including BluBlend Kentucky BlueGrass, Sunny Mix, Sod-Builder Shady Mix, and Sun/Shade varieties), fertilizers and soil amendments (Jack's Classic fertilizers, Espoma TOMATO-TONE, Osmocote products, Miracle-Gro, Hi-Yield Bone Meal), potting soils (FoxFarm Happy Frog and Ocean Forest, Sun Gro BG All Purpose), pest control products (Bonide Neem Oil, EPIC Deer/Rabbit Scram, Everguard, Summit Chem sticky traps), wildlife control (Liquid Fence, EPIC products), garden decor (Jackson Pottery birdbaths, Austram solar fountains, Panacea hummingbird feeders), plant care accessories, watering equipment, and professional-grade tools. Foster's also distributes its own branded products including Foster's Bedding Plant Trays, and serves as the exclusive distributor of Lifetyme Grass Seed products. With over 100,000 square feet of warehouse space and relationships with more than 300 suppliers, the company provides both retail and professional lawn, garden, and landscape supplies to independent retailers, turf professionals, landscapers, and specialty food stores.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Multi-Supplier Lawn & Garden Catalog Distribution Wholesale distribution of branded lawn, garden, and landscape products sourced from 300+ suppliers (Scotts, Bonide, Espoma, FoxFarm, Lebanon Seaboard, Bio Advanced, Back To Nature, Coast of Maine, etc.) covering grass seed, fertilizers, potting soils, pest and wildlife control, mulches, plant care accessories, tools, and garden décor, sold in case-pack and pallet quantities to independent retailers and professional buyers.
Companies that use Foster's
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Foster's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Foster's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lifetyme Seed CompanycoreFoster's acquired Behm & Hagemann of East Peoria, IL (makers of Lifetyme Grass Seed) in 2018 through a wholly owned subsidiary. Lifetyme Seed Company later became a stand-alone company, with Foster's named as the exclusive distributor of Lifetyme Seed Products.
- Bald Eagle FoodscoreFoster's acquired Bald Eagle Foods specialty food business. Foster's serves as the exclusive distributor of Bald Eagle Foods products.
- Pace SupplyminorAcquired turf professional and sports field business Pace Supply in Fairfax, IA. Later exited sports field business to focus on Lifetyme Pro Grass Seed and other professional turf products.
- ScottscoreMajor supplier of lawn and garden products including Miracle-Gro brand, featured in Foster's product catalog
- Bonide ProductscoreSupplier of garden pest control and plant protection products
- EspomacoreSupplier of organic lawn and garden fertilizers
- FoxFarmcoreSupplier of premium potting soils and fertilizers for gardening
- Lebanon Seaboard CorpcoreSupplier of lawn and garden chemical products
- Back To NaturecoreSupplier of compost and organic soil products
- Bio AdvancedcoreSupplier of garden pest and weed control products
- GlamoswireminorSupplier of garden products
- Organic LaboratoriesminorSupplier of organic plant care products
- Coast Of MaineminorSupplier of organic gardening products from Maine
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Foster's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights12 records
Customer concentration
Foster's social profiles
Digital presenceFoster's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foster's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Foster's subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Foster's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Foster's M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foster's
What does Foster's do?
Foster's is a regional wholesale distributor that purchases lawn, garden, landscape, and specialty food products in bulk from 300+ suppliers (including Scotts, Bonide, Espoma, FoxFarm, and Lebanon Seaboard) and resells them to independent retailers, turf professionals, landscapers, and specialty food stores across the Upper and Central Midwest. The company holds exclusive distribution rights for Lifetyme Grass Seed and Bald Eagle Foods, and sells its own branded Foster's Bedding Plant Trays, all fulfilled from 100,000+ sq ft of warehouse space with consolidated billing and prompt shipping.
Is Foster's a public or private company?
Foster's is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Foster's founded?
Foster's was founded in 1910. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Foster's based?
Foster's is headquartered in Waterloo, United States, in the North America region.
Does Foster's have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foster's.
What industry is Foster's in?
Foster's's product category is Lawn & Garden Wholesale Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAM, Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers). Its NAICS code is 444240 and its SIC code is 5200.